Barcelona’s Franck Kessie has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, the Laliga club announced on Wednesday.
Al-Ahli will pay €12.5 million for the 26-year-old, who joined Barca from AC Milan in 2022.
However, the Ivory Coast midfielder struggled to secure a place in Xavi’s starting line-up.
Al-Ahli have appointed Matthias Jaissle as manager on a three-year deal after Red Bull Salzburg sacked the German coach.
Kessie became the fifth Europe-based player to join Al-Ahli, who returned to the Pro league following a season in the second division, after Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and Alain Saint-Maximin.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) have announced a Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project involving the league champions Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
PIF owns 75 per cent of each of the four clubs, while their respective non-profit foundations own 25 per cent of each.
Lebanon’s culture minister said Wednesday he had asked authorities to ban the hit movie “Barbie” for purportedly “promoting homosexuality”, as anti-LGBTQ rhetoric soars in one of the Middle East’s more liberal countries.
“It was decided… to send a request to Lebanon’s General Security agency… to take all necessary measures to ban showing this movie in Lebanon,” Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada said in a statement.
The film “promotes homosexuality and transsexuality… supports rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family,” he said.
The film, which has topped $1 billion in global revenues, was due to be screened in Lebanese cinemas from August 31.
Though it was widely anticipated by LGBTQ communities worldwide, the film does not contain any overt references to same-sex relationships or queer themes.
Lebanon’s move comes amid a growing anti-LGBTQ campaign, spearheaded by Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and as LGBTQ activists have been pushing to decriminalise same-sex relations.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has called for a boycott of rainbow products and said last month that gay people, “even if they do it once… are to be killed”.
While Lebanon is generally considered more tolerant of sexual diversity than other Arab countries, the police regularly raid gay bars and other LGBTQ-friendly spaces.
Lebanese law currently allows courts to punish “unnatural” sexual relations with up to one year in prison.
FILE PHOTO: A scientist filters out samples during the research and development of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a laboratory of BIOCAD biotechnology company in St Petersburg, Russia June 11, 2020. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
There’s a new coronavirus variant topping the leaderboard in the United States: EG.5.
EG.5 is causing about 17% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, compared with 16% for the next most common lineage, XBB.1.16, according to the latest estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
EG may sound like a whole new flavor of the virus, but it’s not; it’s a spinoff of the XBB recombinant strain of the Omicron family.
It represents another incremental tweak to the virus rather than a major evolutionary leap like the original Omicron strain.
Compared with its parent XBB.1.9.2, it has one extra mutation to its spike, at position 465.
This mutation has appeared in other coronavirus variants before.
Scientists aren’t sure exactly what new tricks it enables the virus to do, but variant hunters are paying attention because many of the new XBB descendants have adopted it.
The 465 mutation is present in about 35% of coronavirus sequences reported worldwide, including another that’s rising in prevalence in the Northeast, FL.1.5.1, suggesting that it is conveying some kind of evolutionary advantage over previous versions.
EG.5 also now has its own offshoot, EG.5.1, that adds a second mutation to the spike. That one is also spreading rapidly.
Prof. Daniel Mugendi, Vice Chancellor of Kenya’s Public Universities, has refuted claims that the government’s new funding model will increase the burden of school fees on parents.
On Citizen TV’s The Big Conversation show on Wednesday, Mugendi said that the topic of hiked school fees is being raised, even though the new model, does not raise the cost of university education.
“I am actually surprised that we are talking of fees having been increased. Indeed we cannot be in a better time than now. There is no fees that has been increased. Indeed if you look at the model that the government has proposed, it is a model that is going to favour anyone,” said Mugendi.
Those seeking government assistance are divided into four categories: vulnerable, highly needy, needy, and less needy.
Under the higher education loans board, students classified as vulnerable and extremely needy will receive 100% government funding for their studies in the form of scholarships and loans.
Those classified as needy and less needy will receive 93% government funding, with students bearing 7% of the tuition costs.
Students in need will be eligible for government scholarships of up to 53% and loans of up to 40%.
“If you go for the most expensive programme, medicine, the amount that the household will contribute annually is only Ksh.42,800. When we are talking of fees being increased I don’t know what we are talking about.”
In a distressing exposé by the BBC, a deeply concerning pattern of sexual exploitation has been uncovered among spiritual healers in Sudan.
The investigation sheds light on a troubling practice that has left vulnerable women at the mercy of those who were meant to provide solace and guidance.
Spiritual healing, also known as “Quranic healing”, is a popular practice in the Arab and Muslim world. It is mostly women who visit healers – believing that they can solve problems and cure illness by expelling evil spirits known as “jinn”.
Testimonies gathered by the BBC from 85 women, over a period of more than a year, named 65 so-called healers in Morocco and Sudan – two countries where such practices are particularly popular – with accusations ranging from harassment to rape.
One Sudanese healer who was named by the investigation as Sheikh Ibrahim was mentioned by three women.
An undercover reporter went to investigate but fled the scene after he attempted to inappropriately touch her. He stated that she “was really shaken by him,” and that “he had a worrying look about him.”
In a later interview with the BBC the Sheikh denied the allegations of sexual harassment and assault, as well as what happened between the reporter and himself.
In a separate incident in Morocco, a woman under the pseudonym Dalal said she was raped by a spiritual healer after seeking help for depression. She claimed she was drugged by the healer who asked her to smell a scent resulting in a loss of consciousness.
After waking up she realised she had been raped, with the healer claiming the assault was to “make the jinn leave [her] body.” Her subsequent pregnancy was blamed on the jinn by the healer. She later gave up the baby for adoption.
The report reveals a disheartening misuse of trust, as some spiritual healers exploit their positions of influence to take advantage of women seeking spiritual assistance.
These healers, who are traditionally revered figures in Sudanese society, have been found to engage in acts of sexual abuse, manipulating the vulnerability of their clients for their own reprehensible ends.
The revelations have sparked outrage and calls for accountability, both within Sudan and across the international community.
Efforts to address this issue include demands for stronger regulations, increased awareness campaigns, and the empowerment of women to come forward and report abuses.
As Sudan grapples with this distressing revelation, it is a critical moment for society to come together, confront these deeply ingrained issues, and work towards a future where spiritual guidance is synonymous with compassion, respect, and genuine healing.
In Morocco, Ahmed Toufiq, the minister of Islamic Affairs, said that “the solution lies in religious education and preaching,” rather than government legislation regulating the practice of healing.
A full year has passed since the parliamentarians were elected, providing an opportunity to evaluate their work over the duration of 11 months.
During this time, the Mzalendo Trust compiled and released data highlighting the levels of engagement of both Members of Parliament and Senators, putting light on their legislative action.
Notably, each member of the National Assembly engaged in discussions ten times on average.
However, it’s worth noting that a sizable proportion, 187 members of the National Assembly, contributed less than ten times, accounting for 68.14% of the total.
South African entertainment company Multichoice, which owns and operates satellite pay TV service DSTV, has withdrawn from Malawi after a court barred its local franchise from increasing prices.
The company said “no new subscriptions or reconnections will be accepted” and it would only continue serving clients with active subscriptions until 10 September.
The withdrawal of services from Malawi marks the end of a hostile relationship between Multichoice and the regulator.
Last month, Multichoice Malawi announced an increase in DSTV prices, but the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) acquired a temporary court injunction preventing the hike from going through.
MultiChoice Malawi reacted by obtaining a temporary stay of the injunction.
Macra in January fined MultiChoice 10 million kwacha ($9,220; £8,400) and ordered the company to refund subscribers the added amount after MultiChoice raised DSTV prices without the regulator’s approval.
MultiChoice Malawi argued that it was merely collecting subscription fees on behalf of MultiChoice Africa, which sets and adjusts the prices.
MultiChoice prides itself as Africa’s leading entertainment platform, serving 23.5 million households across 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
While DSTV provides various entertainment services, it is best known for the streaming of live sports events, particularly football.
In recent months, MultiChoice Africa has hiked the subscription fees for TV services in some markets, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
Manchester United paid a record £80m to make Harry Maguire the world’s most expensive defender in 2019.
Four years later, he is set to leave Old Trafford for West Ham in a £30m deal after being stripped of the captaincy this summer and having slipped to fifth choice centre back under manager Erik ten Hag.
A lot has happened in those four years – BBC Sport charts the ups and downs.
Summer 2019 – the £80m defender
Manchester United were prepared to make Maguire, at that time, the second-most expensive signing by an English club, after Paul Pogba. Then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about his ability to read the game, his strong presence and calmness under pressure.
It was widely accepted these were all qualities United needed after the chaos of Jose Mourinho’s final few months in charge and Solskjaer’s inability to lift the club back into the Champions League places.
Twelve months previously, Mourinho had wanted to sign him. Pep Guardiola was keen to take Maguire to Manchester City.
2019-2020 – impressive debut season
Within three months of his arrival from Leicester, Maguire had captained United for the first time. Less than three months after that, the England man was given the armband on a permanent basis following Ashley Young’s move to Inter Milan.
As he set about the latest United rebuild, having Maguire as a foundation and a leader seemed a no-brainer for Solskjaer.
It worked too. They finished that first Covid-affected season in third place. Maguire started every Premier League game and United tightened up considerably at the back. Champions Liverpool, who lost only three games, conceded just three goals fewer.
Summer 2020 – the Mykonos incident
The certainty around Maguire was stripped away on Thursday, 20 August when he was arrested on the Greek island of Mykonos and subsequently given a 21-month suspended sentence for hitting a police officer and attempted bribery following an altercation in a bar.
At the time, Maguire told BBC Sport he feared for his life. He insisted he had done nothing wrong and his appeal – which automatically means he is regarded as innocent under Greek law – will be heard on 7 February 2024.
He continued to insist the incident had no additional effect on his football but when the new season started the following month, he did not seem to be the same player.
2021 – weaknesses begin to be exposed
Maguire was exposed and individually culpable in an “abysmal” display in a 6-1 home defeat by Tottenham in October 2020 – with Solskjaer describing it as his “worst day ever” as manager.
But it wasn’t until 13 months later, in November 2021, that Solskjaer was sacked – following a torrid run including Maguire and the United defence being dismantled 5-0 by Liverpool at Old Trafford when the eventual margin of victory could have been much worse.
Now, the defender’s failings – lack of pace and mobility – were being highlighted. His confidence appeared affected and criticism began to mount.
2022 – Ronaldo captaincy row
A major fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo over the captaincy disturbed squad unity and offered no support when Maguire could have done with some.
Reports of the rift were initially denied by interim boss Ralf Rangnick, but BBC Sport understands there was an issue, before Ronaldo’s acrimonious exit in July 2022.
Ten Hag took the manager’s job last summer with a clear plan. He wanted Martinez as his left-sided central defender.
Martinez wasn’t on United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia but Ten Hag switched Maguire with Victor Lindelof anyway. When Maguire played, it was on the right. Given World Cup winner Raphael Varane plays there, at a stroke, Ten Hag had taken away Maguire’s position in the team.
He has never looked like regaining it.
After starting almost every game in 2019-20 and 2020-21, last season Maguire made just 16 starts and 31 appearances, totalling 1,600 minutes on the pitch, compared to almost 5,000 in his first United campaign.
May 2023 – doubts over United future
At Brighton in May, when Varane and Martinez were missing through injury, Lindelof was moved to the right and Luke Shaw took the left-sided slot, with Diogo Dalot at full-back. Maguire was an unused substitute. That did not give the impression Ten Hag felt there was much of a future for him.
It is fair to say Maguire has had to show a lot of character over the past few months amid the negative fan backlash.
Yet, to his credit, Maguire has remained stoic and kept his dignity.
After the EFL Cup final in February, when Maguire lifted the trophy with Bruno Fernandes despite coming on for the final two minutes, he said “I’m a footballer who wants to play games and I want to lead the boys out in the tunnel at the start of the game,” but that his main job was to “move the club forward and bring success back”.
In February, Harry Maguire became the first Manchester United captain to lift silverware since 2017
Maguire said nothing after the FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City, when he remained on the bench throughout.
Between the two games, Maguire started just six times. Tellingly though, only one of them – the final day win against Fulham – was after the 3-0 hammering at Sevilla in the Europa League on 20 April.
It was after the England games that followed the FA Cup final defeat that Southgate spoke about Maguire’s lack of game time, putting him in the same category as Kalvin Phillips, who had limited time on the pitch at Manchester City last season.
Nevertheless, the word remained that Maguire saw his future at Old Trafford.
July 2023 – loses captaincy & Onana rant
During Ten Hag’s second pre-season, he took the club captaincy off Maguire, handing it to Bruno Fernandes. Maguire said he was “personally extremely disappointed” as he revealed it first on social media.
Similar to last pre-season, there were some fans at certain games that jeered his appearances.
It was always likely Ten Hag would switch his captains this summer, now he has his feet under the Old Trafford table and his rebuild is taking shape.
Maguire would have had a limited role at best behind Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw.
In what looks like being one of Maguire’s final appearances for United, he was berated by new goalkeeper Andre Onana for a slack pass in a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly.
Despite a big contract with at least two years left, and Ten Hag saying publicly Maguire was still part of his plans – a fresh start probably feels like the best move for all.
With Euro 2024 to come at the end of this season, England boss Gareth Southgate has told Maguire he needed to play more often to secure his place in the squad.
Two police officers have been accused of taking USD2 million from a Nairobi County MCA during last month’s anti-government rallies.
Milimani law courts senior principal magistrate Robinson Ondieki heard Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok lost the money to the police officers on July 21 2023.
And, much to the court’s amazement, it was revealed that a Radisson Blu Hotel employee who witnessed the incident died mysteriously.
Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki was informed by lawyer Shadrack Wambui that two police officers attached to the DCI Headquarters serious Crime unit took USD 2 million from a safe at the Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi.
Wambui stated in court that the two police officers stole the money from the safe with the help of a hotel employee who was later discovered dead.
Imwatok went into hiding alongside Makadara MP George Aladwa and Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto Nyangaresi after learning that authorities were looking for them on suspicion of engaging in subversive activities during the Azimio protests to protest the high cost of living.
Wambui told magistrate Ondieki that money was stolen when the two officers arrested Imwatok from his hide out at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
Wambui had requested that the two cops appear in court to return the items taken from Imwatok when he was arrested on July 21, 2023.
On Tuesday August 8,2023 Ondieki ordered the two officers to appear before him with all the items recovered from Imwatok.
But to the utter surprise of the court the two officers did not turn up but sent another officer Gilbert Okemwa with two phones minus the USD 2 million.
Okemwa told the magistrate he was not given any money by the two Kurias who arrested Imwatok.
“I confirm the only thing that is in the inventory is only the phones and nothing else. The USD 2 million was not handed to me by the two arresting officers,” Okemwa told Ondieki.
However, the officer did not disclose the whereabouts of his two colleagues and why they failed to honour the court summons by appearing in court yesterday.
The lawyer told the court that police have developed a notorious tendency of starling and robbing suspects their precious items and money.
“This habit of police must be stopped by this honour court. Order the two officers to return Imwatok’s money of face prosecution,” Wambui submitted.
The magistrate directed Imwatok to seek redress of the theft of millions at the High Court
